INPE Retrieves Antarctic Meteorological Data

Hello reader!

It follows a note published on the day (11/09) in the website of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) informing that the institute retrieves Antarctic Meteorological Data.

Duda Falcão

INPE Retrieves Antarctic Meteorological Data

Friday, November 09, 2012

Since the fire at Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station (EACF), on February 25, the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) strives to maintain the collection of climate data in the region. The automatic weather station is into a module that was not reached by the fire, but was not working due to lack of electricity.

To keep the historical series of meteorological data, which measures have been taken since the summer of 1984-1985, about a month after the accident INPE installed solar panels and batteries for its instrumentation in EACF, located on king George Island, in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica.

Information that have been stored into INPE’s meteorological module since the accident were recovered on November 5, when a team of INPE returned to the place, due to the Navy support, aboard the Polar ship Almirante Maximiano.

Before the fire, information use to be sent in real time to the researchers at the institute. Nowadays, there is not enough power for online transmission and data needs to be downloaded directly from the instrumentation.

The storage capacity of the automatic weather station is limited, thus, it is important to return to the EACF to prevent data recorded since April, when new batteries were installed, to be erased by new information of daily monitoring.

INPE’s meteorological tower at EACF

Source: WebSite of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE)